I went on a foraging walk at one of Scotland's most picturesque spots - it was an ideal slow Sunday
A weekend foraging walk on Scotland’s beautiful west coast makes for an ideal slow Sunday, finds Rosalind Erskine.
Foraging is seeing a surge in popularity as many want to get back to nature, switch off from their phones and technology, and explore the natural environment.
Recent research conducted by outdoor clothing brand TOG 24 showed almost three-quarters of adults asked were keen to forage for wild food, but that a lack of understanding was holding them back, with many worried about picking something poisonous.
I’ve been something of an urban forager (of the obvious, non poisonous things) for years, from bramble picking from my youth, which I now continue to do to make jam with my nephews, to elderberry, elderflower and wild garlic picking. There’s something wonderful about going on a foraging walk in the countryside though, which is why it’s no surprise the Pierhouse’s foraging walks with Lucy Cooke are a popular booking at the Port Appin hotel and restaurant.
Ms Cooke has been working with the award-winning hotel and head chef Michael Leathley for the past three years. Now they have teamed up to offer a two-hour guided walk around the shoreline and woods near the hotel, which ends with a foraged buffet style lunch.
I joined the walk at the end of September to learn more about the autumn spoils available in the area. Starting around 9.30am, we stayed the night before, given the long drive from Glasgow, and were so glad we did. The dinner and breakfast were excellent, with a coffee or tea at the hotel.
Ms Cooke explained a rough itinerary, where we would be walking and things we might pick up on route before we headed out - to the car park. The location illustrated the plants we can forage are everywhere. There we found some dock leaf seeds and wild yarrow, which was still partially in bloom.
From there we took a leisurely walk around the Port Appin circuit, which starts behind the hotel and takes in the rock arch of Clach Tholl. There were the most stunning views over Lismore and towards Mull thanks to a brilliantly sunny morning.
Along the way we picked, tried and found out more about, among other things, our local superfood, nettles; dock leaves and why they should be used more like spinach than for nettle stings; puffball mushrooms; tiny chanterelles; rowan and hawthorn berries; conifer; sorrel and acorns.
Ms Cooke talked to the group about each find and explained some of the uses of the foraged items. She also packed a basket of goodies, including wild liqueurs, wild spiced biscuits, dried apple and bramble fruit leathers, a dandelion root coffee substitute made into a mocha, and conifer and nettle tea.
After the walk, which was made all the nicer due to the autumn sunshine, we headed back to the hotel for a feast of a lunch prepared by Mr Leathley and his team. We tucked into dishes including hand dived scallops with hog seed, angelica and nettle seeds; crispy cavolo nero with hog seeds; winter chanterelle tart; field mushroom arancini with wild tarragon mayo; sweet cicely mussels; halibut with pickled brambles and chanterelles; and a rosehip, fuchsia and rowan berry bread and butter pudding with clotted cream custard.
Slow Sundays can often feel like a social media fad, especially when lives are busy. But it really does make all the difference to switch off, relax and get back to nature. You might not end up baking with acorn flour, but finding out more about what was once our way of life - wild food - is fascinating and an ideal way to learn more about an area. And there’s few more beautiful than Scotland’s west coast.
The Pierhouse and Lucy Cooke will be hosting the next foraging walk in winter on November 9. This wild food wander will focus on seasonal goodies and preservation techniques and is priced at £120 per person. Find out more via The Pierhouse website.
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